VANCOUVER - Taylor Swift fans with tickets to her concerts in Toronto and Vancouver are facing a huge rise in hotel and short-term rental costs on show weekends.
Some accommodation costs during the November and December shows are 10 times more than other weekends, forcing some Swifties to cut potential losses and sell their coveted tickets.
Kelly Hall was elated when she beat the odds and was allocated three tickets for The Eras Tour in Vancouver, but that turned to frustration when she saw the cheapest hotel cost more than 12-hundred dollars a night.
So the Ontario financial adviser decided to sell her tickets.
Other Swifties have found creative ways to cuts costs, including American Heather Cox who is swapping one ticket to a Vancouver show for four days' accommodation at a local woman's apartment.
While fans have accused the hotel industry of price gouging, economist Thomas Davidoff says he doesn't see a problem with surge pricing as it reflects demand and availability.
Ken Whitehurst, the executive director of the Consumer Council of Canada, says dynamic pricing is often applied aggressively in the travel industry, since provisions about what constitutes price gouging aren't well defined.
The B-C Hotel Association declined interview requests while the Greater Toronto Hotel Association didn't respond.